Minami-ke Okawari

Minami-ke Okawari follows the lives of three sisters: Haruka, Kana, and Chiaki. Haruka, the responsible eldest sibling, shoulders the burden of looking after her younger sisters. Kana, the middle child, exudes laziness and eccentricity, while Chiaki, the youngest, admires her older sister but clashes with Kana. Alongside the sisters are their diverse group of friends, each with their distinct personalities and relationships.

In each episode, the narrative revolves around a specific challenge faced by one of the sisters, drawing the others into the fray. A significant plot point emerges when Haruka is offered the chance to study abroad, sparking concerns about Kana and Chiaki's ability to ... manage in her absence.

The animation skillfully captures the nuances of the characters, while the music and sound design provide a solid backdrop, though they may not particularly stand out.

Minami-ke Okawari prioritizes character development, allowing each season to showcase the gradual evolution of its protagonists. The pacing is measured, and the storylines are fulfilling.

In summary, Minami-ke Okawari offers an enjoyable viewing experience, deserving of attention for its charming portrayal of familial dynamics and character growth.

This is the Minami-ke series in its sophomore slump.

Rather than following my usual template (characters, story, art, sound, enjoyment) I'll keep it brief, since this is a sequel.

Minami-ke Okawari feels like the Minami-ke series got a bit lost trying to go into a new direction. The first noticeable difference from the first season is the art style. The lines are all very hard and everything looks darker. Sure, the backgrounds certainly have more detail, but perhaps too much hard-lined details. The art overall seems out-of-place for the lighthearted comedy we grew to love in Minami-ke. There also seems to be a bit more fanservice, which ... takes away a bit from what the series means as a lighthearted comedy.

The episodic stories are quite varied and still involve a plethora of characters, however, it seems like this season lacks the comedy we grew to love in the first season. Opportunities for punchlines are missed. For example, Hosaka appears multiple times but nothing really happens with him.

The characters, Haruka, Kana, and Chiaki are more-or-less the same as they were in the first season, with Chiaki probably being the most different in her attitude towards Haruka.

All this being said, because the MC's are so likable, I still enjoyed this series and went on to watch the rest of the seasons. I wouldn't recommend this season by itself; I think it's required that one watches the first season before this.

The first thing I have to say is that I'm not an English speaker, so please excuse my English mistakes.

It's the first time I write something about an anime on MAL, but for "Minami-ke Okawari" it has to be said:

*** Stay away from this anime! ***

I really enjoyed the first season which I completed in two days, it was so fun. The next day I was really excited about beginning the season 2, but a bit worried about the change of studio. I couldn't imagine how right I was to be worried...

First things first, the art. Many reviews here are saying the art is more ... or less okay, and even better than in season 1. I couldn't disagree more. The character design of the first season has its flaws (weird triangular mouthes and sometimes some weird foreshortenings) but at least it was original (and nice). In the second season, the character design is generic as hell, seen about 10.000 times. All the characters looks the same. Asread even changed the color of the eyes, you can hardly recognise Haruka. In addition to that I think the use of colors is very bad (it was very nice in season 1).

Then we've got the animation. Better than season 1? Are you kidding? From the very beginning of the opening you can see seemingly CG drawn characters, walking with loops of about 3 frames per sec, and the animation is so bad (jumpy and unnatural) it hurts the eye. Wow, bad start. And in the actual show? It's the same, not good at all.

As for the "fun" stuff, do you remember the small strand of hair Chiaki has on her head? Well, now it's animated... Sigh...

And on top of this, you've got a Onsen episode at episode 1. Yes ladies and gentlemen, a fan service oriented episode right on the first episode of the season.

Usually I watch 3 episodes to make up my mind before deciding to drop an anime but this time I've had enough with one. Stay away from this show, especially if you enjoyed the first season.